It All Makes Sense Now

Sometimes you can't truly understand a song until you walk in its shoes. "In My Life" has always been one of my favorite songs, and it comes courtesy of my favorite band of all time, The Beatles. But I never could quitecomprehend the sentiment of the lyrics.

After all, listen to what John Lennon is saying. After saying that he can look back fondly at all of the people and places of his past, he eventually comes to the conclusion that he loves the object of the song more than all of that. That was a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. Even after falling in love a few times, I didn't believe that I loved those people more than my family or firiends. It was a different kind of love, granted, but it seemed harsh to rank people in my life.

On thenight after Christmas, 2004, I met the love of my life. My life changed almost immediately. After 32 years of thinking that I was happy and that I was living a good life, I found out that I had been wrong. And it wasn't that any of the people that I cared about in my life had let me down in some way; it was that I hadn't experienced true romantic love, the kind that binds two people forever, and that kind of love is truly irreplaceable.

I understand "In My Life" now. To me, it's still not about loving someone more than somebody else, comparing the love of a friend to the love of a wife or husband or anything else like that. Maybe John meant that, but that's not what I hear.

To me, it's about the need to let go of your past self, to let go of all the hang-ups and doubts and fears that weigh you down. You can only do that when you meet the right person, and, by the grace of God, I met that person that fateful night. I love her more than words can say and more than my heart can hold. And "In My Life", to me one of man's most beautiful contributions to the world, says that better than I ever could.

So, when I need to, I put that song on to remind me of how lucky I am. As a matter of fact, I think I'll put it on tonight, and ask my love to dance.